Social media footage depicted residents fleeing into the streets in terror as objects fell around them.
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake killed 14 Ecuadorians and one Peruvian four-year-old girl.
According to the US Geological Survey, the epicenter of the earthquake was approximately 50 miles (80km) south of the city of Guayaquil, off Ecuador’s Pacific Coast.
It was also felt in northern Peru, where Prime Minister Alberto Otárola reported that a four-year-old girl had perished when the roof of her residence collapsed in the Tumbes region, near the border with Ecuador.
Authorities report that 14 people have died and 126 others have been injured in Ecuador.
During the earthquake, residents of Guayaquil, which is the second largest city in Ecuador and is located about 270 kilometers southwest of the capital Quito, reported that objects had tumbled inside their homes.
Social media footage depicted panicked residents fleeing into the streets.
Guillermo Lasso, the president of Ecuador, tweeted a message urging residents to remain calm before telling reporters that the earthquake had “without a doubt… alarmed the population.”
The country’s emergency response agency, the Risk Management Secretariat, reported two deaths in the state of Azuay in the highlands.
One of the victims was a passenger in a vehicle entombed beneath a collapsed home.
At least 14 people have perished in the coastal state of El Oro, according to the office of the president, which also reported that seven homes were destroyed and 50 others were damaged.
It is believed that approximately 20 educational facilities and over thirty health centers were also affected.
A two-story home and pier fell in Machala, El Oro, trapping several people.
Mr. Lasso announced his intention to travel to the region on Saturday.
Due to downed power lines that disrupted phone and electricity service, rescue efforts were hampered.
A video posted online depicted three TV hosts leaping from their studio desks as the environment began to tremble.
One presenter suggested an ad break, while another repeatedly exclaimed, “My God, my God.”
The Adverse Events Monitoring Directorate’s report ruled out a tsunami hazard for the South American nation.
A 2016 earthquake on the Pacific Coast killed over 600 people.
